Wood - Renewable Definition: hard fibrous material that forms the main substance of a tree or shrub, which is burned to create heat energy
Disadvantages:
storage problems, large in bulk and takes up storage space
wood must be dry
fires can easily grow out of control
Advantages:
Leaves a smaller carbon footprint compared to other sources of energy
Easiest available form of fuel
100% burning efficiency
Uses:
Cooking and heating
Generating power for steam engines
Environmental Impact:Even though wood is the easiest form of fuel to find, it is not the best for the environment. For if a mass amount of people were to use wood for their source of fuel, deforestation and soil erosion would become a large problem. Wood may be a renewable resource, but it cannot supply the demand of people fast enough. Since wood comes from trees, that means that people need to grow trees in order to obtain wood. But trees take an extraordinary amount of time to grow to the size people need.
Geothermal - Renewable Definition: heat from within the earth, created by constant
Advantages –
Does not use fossil fuels
Emits less carbon dioxide and sulfur than most power plants
Heat is continually produced in the earth's core
Disadvantages –
Cannot build power plants anywhere – need to have a geothermal reservoir nearby
Water pollution could happen from water coming into contact with rocks
Wastes which are toxic in bulk can be created
Environmental impact: Because geothermal power plants don’t use fuels, their carbon dioxide and sulfur emissions are more than 97% lower than power plants using fossil fuels. Since the heat and electricity is created by water and steam (which are deposited back into the earth), no resources are wasted. Many geothermal reservoirs are also protected by being classified as a national park (Yellowstone!). Water can, however, be polluted by metals and gases from some power plants. Some wastes are created, but most can easily be disposed of back into the earth where it came from. With geothermal energy, there is barely any negative effect on the environment.
Uses:
Electricity can be generated by geothermal energy power plants by changing heat energy from a geothermal reservoir into electricity.
Heat is the main use of geothermal technology. It doesn’t require a power plant or heat pump. It is directly harnessed and used for hot springs, heating homes and greenhouses, and preparing food.
Hydropower - renewable Definition: power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. it is created when water flows through a turbine, then the water makes fans turn to then fuel an electric generator.Water is stored in a lake and is then run through generators to create energy and electricity.
Advantages:
After dams are built, electricity can be produced at a constant rate
The water from the lake builds up and can be stored until whenever it’s needed, to then produce a lot of electricity.
The electricity made by the dams does not produce harmful greenhouse gases and does no pollute the atmosphere.
Disadvantages:
It is very expensive to build dams and they have high standards that they must be built to.
The natural environment of an area will be flooded and destroyed through the construction of dams.
People must move off of the land where dams are going to be built, which means that they have to leave behind their homes, farms, and/or businesses.
Environmental Impact- Building dam systems can cause a lot of problems on the environment. Not only does is destroy the natural environment, but it can cause geological damage as well. Building dams can cause earthquakes to happen and it can cause the earth’s surface to be depressed at the area of the building. Dams, especially old ones, can give in under the weight of the water on them, which is called breaching. Not only do dams affect people, but they affect wildlife as well. Building a dam can disrupt ecosystems and can ruin the landscape.
Uses:
Irrigation
Operate machines like sawmills or textile mills
Oil- Nonrenewable
Natural gas is turned back on at a stranded natural gas well.
Cleans and compresses the gas.
Clean natural gas powers combustion engine.
Engine drives generator.
Generated electricit:
flows to the power grid for sale to utilities
provides backup or primary power for municipalities
or powers manufacturing on-site.
Definition: natural occurring, flammable liquid found in formations under the Earth's surface. It is collected by oil drilling. It is then heated and made into different products for different uses
Advantages:
Easily transported
Powerful
Can be burned for electricity
Disadvantages:
Depletes quickly with the common uses around the world
Causes wars due to possession of the oil
Must be drilled
Uses:
Fuels
Agriculture when making pesticides
Environmental Impact: Oil has a huge impact on the environment. It is believed to be the cause of global warming. Also, oil spills that occur harm many animals and seriously endangers the health of the area. It also has kept whales alive because it can be used as a substitute for whale oil.
Coal - Nonrenewable
Definition: Natural source of energy that was initially developed from plant and vegetative life that has been buried in the Earth’s crust many millions of years ago.
Uses:
Heating industrial or manufacturing plants
Creating steel
Advantages:
Affordable to buy
Great abundance of coal
Technology for burning coal is relatively simple
Disadvantages:
Produces pollutants and gases
Releases twice as many carbon dioxide gases
Power plants must constantly produce power because they cannot shut down
Environmental impact: The gases released due to burning coal are harmful to human heath and the enviorment. Many people can develop lung cancer from the gases exhibited. Coal being burned by humans is the largest contributor to the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Definition: hard fibrous material that forms the main substance of a tree or shrub, which is burned to create heat energy
Geothermal - Renewable
Definition: heat from within the earth, created by constant
Hydropower - renewable
Definition: power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. it is created when water flows through a turbine, then the water makes fans turn to then fuel an electric generator.Water is stored in a lake and is then run through generators to create energy and electricity.
Oil- Nonrenewable
Definition: natural occurring, flammable liquid found in formations under the Earth's surface. It is collected by oil drilling. It is then heated and made into different products for different uses
Coal - Nonrenewable
Definition: Natural source of energy that was initially developed from plant and vegetative life that has been buried in the Earth’s crust many millions of years ago.